Yesterday we set our family record for number of US National Park Service cancellations collected in a single day: thirteen! If the goal was simply stamps, many more could readily be obtained in the National Mall area, but with the set we chose we were truly able to enjoy each stop (as well as picking up a couple Junior Ranger Badges) and our 8 and 9 year old were able to peddle the 5ish miles without the distance distracting from the sites.
We parked our car in East Potomac Park south of the National Mall and rode the following route:
Stamps obtained:
- Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial*
- Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial*
- National Mall and Memorial Parks
- West Potomac Park
- DC War Memorial
- Korean War Veterans Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial*
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- World War II Memorial
- Washington Monument**
- President’s Park
- White House Visitor’s Center*
- World War I Memorial
- Thomas Jefferson Memorial***
*Cancellation stamps available here (including stamps for nearby locations)
**We decided to save this one for a time when we can get tickets to go inside
***Bookstore and gift shop closed at time of visit due to construction
Both the White House (21-90 reservation window) and the Washington Monument (main release at 30 days, second release at 10 am day prior) require advance reservations. These reservations are obviously limited. Because these are timed reservations we opted not to include them. The loop nature of our bike ride and the desire for an at-our-own-pace visit would have made working in these reservations difficult. We hope to make a second trip in the near future.